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Thursday, January 19, 2017

The Winter Blues

This was actually going to be another post about how much I hate winter and how the first few weeks of every year leave me depressed and full of self-doubt and whatnot. And then I was like, OR. . .

I could write about HAPPY things. Like, what exactly, despite the horrific blanket of cold grayness that covers us here in Ohio during 97% of the winter

Is it 9 am or 3 pm? Who can tell? It's all the same sort of blah.
#DREARYANDDEPRESSING

I am actually excited about this year. So here we go. I have made a list of five of my favorite ways to ignore the winter blues this year without resorting to hibernation under an electric blanket with lots of delicious food and feel good movies about people who live at the beach because while that all sounds wonderful, it's not even remotely healthy. . . or possible:

1) Love & Sunshine
A photo book by me in which I took advantage of a FREE Shutterfly photobook coupon by smothering the pages with my own photos of brighter, warmer days and happy moments of grace that I captured last year. It's a good reminder that winter is only a season, and that spring will come again and be AWESOME.

Mmmm....I love sunshine.

2) La La Land

It is romantic and beautiful and absolutely one of the best movies (if not THE best) I've ever seen. It's like a dream with incredible detail and fun singing and dancing. I left the theater in such a dreamy state that I hummed and danced my way through the street to our parked car, and Nick was in such a dreamy state that I could tell he almost considered joining me. I've been listening to the soundtrack constantly and reliving the beauty, which has proven to be a fabulous way to rise above the winter blues! "Here's to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem..."

For the record, this is the FIRST screenshot I have ever taken on my phone. I'm quite proud of myself. Watch out world. I can do technology now.

3) My Best Friend's Wedding
Not the movie, but the actual event of the wedding of one of my best friends ever who is getting married in St. Louis in February! We've been making plans and gearing up to celebrate and reconnect with old friends for a week-long getaway from work in the middle of the winter. Just having something to look forward to helps brighten the days (even though, I'm sure I'll be dealing with post-wedding blues when it's all over, but that will be for another post!). ;)

4) My newCurly Girl Planner!
If you haven't heard of Curly Girl Design (Leigh Standley), I highly recommend you check her out! I have been obsessed with her work for years. Her greeting cards are adorable and I simply love all of her designs! I was just saying the other day how I wish I could have a book with all of her designs in it. The NEXT DAY I came across this planner on clearance which is chock full of her adorably inspirational designs and quotes. Hopefully it will make this year of adulting (which will include my transition from my twenties to my thirties *gulp*) a little more colorful!

Too. Cute.

5) Reading the Bible daily

I wanted to read the whole Bible this year and to really understand it better, so I've been reading it every day. Reading the Word of God has filled me with a subtle but real sense of hope, peace, and comfort, and plenty of questions! I dug out my old notes from my college Bible study classes to help gain clarity on some things. It has also made me curious to learn more about Judaism and Islam, and to see how our roots are all connected, so I plan to do some more reading on those religions as well. #themoreyouknow

*To make sure I get through the Bible in a year in a manageable way, I downloaded a free app that breaks it down into easy-to-digest daily readings. The app also offers cheesy little videos with overviews and insights to supplement each book or major section. There are probably better apps out there, but this is the one I happened to pick--let me know if you've found a different one that you really like! ALSO, while the app displays the readings on your phone for you, I choose to read from my actual Bible, mostly because I prefer the feeling of actual books, especially THE BOOK. But when I finish reading from my Bible, I click the check mark on the app so it keeps track of my progress for me.

Anyway, that's how I'm managing the winter blues this year, because I don't want to let seasonal depression and self-doubt and stressing out about adult things take away from the simple joys of every day life.